Eternal
by Cindy Ryan
Summary: XoverSGASG1.Desperate to help his brother Sam stumbles across an old text that in the end sends them on a journey to another galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Category: Xover,angst  
Spoilers: All hell breaks loose pts. 1 and 2  
Notes: This is my first attempt at an Atlantis fic but I just couldn't resist the idea of Dean and John Sheppard in the same fic  
Timeline: Supernatural two months after AHBL, Stargate Atlantis: Season three alternate universe. I tried to mesh it with the current plotline of Atlantis and it just didn't work, so it's AU.  
Summary: Looking for a way to help his brother, Sam stumbles across some text that in the end sends them on a journey to another galaxy.

Northern coast of Maine  
Late summer

"That haunted fork in the road case we gave up to come here is looking better and better."Dean Winchester grumbled as he stood on a gravel road looking at a lighthouse.

Sam squinted through the driving rain as he started to walk from the Impala. So far his information was correct. Now he just had to pray that their good luck continued. They certainly hadn't had much of it lately.

"Afraid of a little rain?"Sam asked with a grin as he continued walking toward the east side of the lighthouse.

Dean glared at his brother as he closed the space between them. "Little rain? Sam, this is almost hurricane force."

"If it was hurricane force they would've closed the road."Sam returned shouting over the increasing wind.

"Funny."

Sam and Dean walked to an overgrown path that led down to the rocky shore. Dean frowned as he struggled to follow his brother on the wet slippery rocks.

Sam had only told him the bare facts on the lighthouse being haunted. Apparently in 1890 the wife of the lighthouse's keeper had been raped and murdered by a group of thieves who had wanted to use the lighthouse as a hide-away. The husband had lived about twenty years after that. The thieves had escaped and were never caught. The lighthouse had been abandoned after the husband's death. Over the past fifty years boaters say they still see the light come on and see a woman's form silhouetted against the light.

It'd been two months since the events at Cold Oak. Two months and their leads on the yellow eyed demon's army had all but dried up. There'd been a skirmish here or there but nothing big. The case they'd given up to come to Maine at least had a connection to finding the demon army. To Dean this was just a run of the mill haunting that could've waited. He didn't see why Sam had been so insistent that they come here now.

Dean nearly lost his precious handhold as he placed his foot where there was nothing. Cursing, Dean forced himself to concentrate on his footing. He decided to trust his brother hoping Sam had some kind of psychic thing he wasn't telling him about.

As he reached the bottom of the rocks Sam pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. The waves crashing at his feet were getting a bit larger than he was comfortable with.

"What exactly are we looking for in this cave?"Dean asked as he reached Sam's side.

Sam kept his gaze fixated on the cave's entrance. He hated lying to Dean. But if this worked in the end it'd be worth it.

"The wife's bones."Sam shouted over the wind that had picked up again.

"Must've really liked the ocean to bury her here."Dean muttered as he followed Sam into the medium sized cave.

"Just a rumor that she's here."Sam stated as he walked farther into the cave wishing he had worn boots.

"Let me guess fire destroyed the town's records?"

"Yep. Spring of 1912 a nasty storm came through. Lighting struck several buildings in the downtown sparking a fire. Ninety percent of the town was destroyed including city hall."

As Sam's flashlight illuminated the walls he kept searching for the hieroglyphics he had seen in the text. The hieroglyphics would point to where it was buried. He picked up his pace he didn't like the way the waves and wind were picking up.

"Sam, not to doubt your source or your psychic whammy, but I'm not seeing any signs anything was buried here."

Sam ignored Dean as he continued to scrutinize the walls. Finally he spotted a very faint line of hieroglyphics on the left side of the cave just above the water line. Sam matched what he knew from the text he had found to the symbols hoping it was enough to translate it correctly. After gaining the information Sam shown his flashlight at the back of the cave. There Sam could see something buried in the wall between two clusters of stalactites.

"There."Sam exclaimed as he sloushed through the water to reach the rear wall.

"Even if she's here."Dean replied as he caught up to Sam shifting the strap of his duffle bag to his right shoulder. "We're going to have to get her somewhere drier in order to burn the bones."

"Yeah."Sam acknowledged distractedly as he cleared away some of the sand and dirt with his hand. More of the same symbols appeared along with something metal.

"Here."Sam said as he handed Dean the flashlight and used both hands to clear away more dirt from the metal surface.

"They didn't bury in metal in those days, Sam."Dean stated suspiciously as he took a good look at what Sam was uncovering. "What's going on?"

Sam remained silent as he cleared away about a foot. He started to move upwards hoping he could pull whatever it was out of the wall. Just as he had enough cleared to get a grip he saw that a row of the symbols were on the area he had cleared. He ran his finger along them wishing he could read whatever language this was.

Sam continued to make progress clearing away enough of the metal surface that they could see it was a small box. Sam planted his feet against the bottom of the wall and gripped it with both hands.

Whatever it was it'd been here awhile and didn't want to budge.

Sam made four attempts to free the object before he looked at his brother. "Just help me pull it out. I'll explain later."

"This better be good."Dean grumbled as he placed his bag and flashlight down.

He stood to Sam's right and gripped that side. After four more attempts the object finally began to loosen.

"Sam, is this thing glowing or……"

Whatever Dean was going to say was cut off as the cave was suddenly engulfed in a bright blue light.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Category: Xover,angst  
Spoilers: All hell breaks loose pts. 1 and 2  
Notes: This is my first attempt at an Atlantis fic but I just couldn't resist the idea of Dean and John Sheppard in the same fic  
Timeline: Supernatural two months after AHBL, Stargate Atlantis: Season three alternate universe. I tried to mesh it with the current plotline of Atlantis and it just didn't work, so it's AU.  
Summary: Looking for a way to help his brother, Sam stumbles across some text that in the end sends them on a journey to another galaxy.

"Why is it I never get listened to in meetings any more?"Colonel John Sheppard grumbled as he led the way down a corridor in Atlantis.

Ronon smiled. "You do, but Rodeny just happened to try her patience more."

Sheppard glared at his friend slightly. "And yet you notice Rodney isn't the one down here? We got the Wraith breathing down our necks we don't need to be exploring some dark damp hallway just because we haven't."

Ronon opened his mouth to reply but Sheppard cut him off.

"And don't tell me that he could be right about something useful being down here because I don't want to hear it right now."

"Okay."

Suddenly the corridor floor buckled and shuddered violently nearly knocking both men off their feet.

"I didn't touch anything."Ronon stated as he steadied himself.

John nodded. "If it wasn't us what the hell was it?"

"Weir to Sheppard."Elizabeth Weir called over John's radio. "You two alright? Internal sensors went nuts up here for a minute."

"We're fine."Sheppard replied. "But the whole corridor shook. Nothing going on up there to cause it?"

"Not that we know of."Weir reported. "We're running scans now."

"We're going to forge ahead here and see if we can find the source."

"Alright. Be careful."

"Always. Sheppard out."

Sam awoke with a groan. Every nerve ending in his body was screaming in pain and to top it off he had a killer headache. He was lying on his back so he slowly opened his eyes to find darkness. Sam gingerly pushed himself to a sitting position as he looked around for his brother.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness Sam saw a still form a few feet away.

"Dean?"Sam called as he crawled. They appeared to be in a narrow room of some kind. He'd worry about who brought them from the cave later.

Dean stirred and sat up holding his head in his hands. It was only then that he realized he wasn't sitting in water and that he wasn't soaking wet.

"Where are we and what the hell is going on?"

"Actually a better question,"John Sheppared stated as he leveled his gun and flashlight at the two young men sprawled on the floor before him. "Who are you and how did you get here?"

Dean struggled to his feet causing Ronon to jerk his weapon toward him. Dean instantly raised his hands toward the taller black man. "Easy, big guy, we're friends. Or at least I think we are. What are you two military?"

Sheppard blinked and then exchanged a curious glance with Ronon. It was clear these two had no idea they weren't in the States any longer. Let alone another galaxy.

"Colonel….."Ronon began warily. He'd never liked being in unknown territory. They were deep in Atlantis now. If these two were a threat getting them to the surface would reveal too much.

"Yeah,I got that."Sheppard replied as Sam slowly got to his feet coming to stand next to Dean.

"There weren't any military bases near by."Sam whispered to his brother as he backed up so there were only inches between them.

"You two still haven't answered my question."Sheppard stated as he took a step toward the younger man.

"That goes both ways."Dean cut in gaining a warning glare from his brother.

"Dean."Sam hissed hadn't they learned by now that antagonizing people or demons with weapons never ended well?

John turned toward the elder Winchester. "Okay,Dean,let's start from the top. Or do I really have to go down the whole who,what,why,where before I get an answer I like."

Dean narrowed his eyes he was really starting to not like this guy.

Sam sensed his brother's rising temper and took over the conversation. He finally had enough light from the Colonel's flashlight to read the name on the uniform.

"Look, Colonel Sheppard."Sam began quietly. "If we've stumbled on some top secret military maneuver it was accidental. If you just let us go we'll be on our way and we promise we won't tell anybody in Maine what you guys are up to."

Just then Ronon heard something. Something that he definitely didn't like. A cracking sound down here could only mean one thing.

"Colonel."

"Give me a minute."John's mind was spinning. If these two had been in Maine how the hell had they ended up in Atlantis? There were no records of Ancient technology there.

"Colonel."Ronon insisted as a rumbling sound reached his ears.

"What?"John replied slightly annoyed but then he heard it. He should have known by now that Ronon doesn't interrupt unless it's important.

"We have to move."Ronon replied urgently.

"One of these days I'll have a nice easy routine day."John said quietly as he looked at Atlantis's two newest residents. "How fast can you two run?"

"Pretty good, why?"Sam asked warily.

"Because however you two got here it caused a crack in the wall. And that crack is about to let in a hell of a lot of water. So we need to go, now."


	3. Chapter 3

Have added a new scene to this chapter…..Beckett and Weir.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam stumbles on a text that eventually propels them to another galaxy.

Five minutes after the group had started to run Sheppard's radio crackled to life. But because of the corridor's location and the noise of the crushing water behind them John could only make out snatches of the transmission.

"……sensors……crack…..water imminent….shield fluxuating….Teyla will….."

Sheppard risked a glance behind him. Ronon brought up the rear of the group to make sure their two visitors didn't get any funny ideas. The water could be seen now. It was about half a corridor's length behind Ronon and closing fast.

John grabbed his radio hoping they were close enough that the signal would strengthen.

"Elizabeth, didn't catch that last part. Teyla's what?"

In the control room Elizabeth Weir frowned as she leaned on one of the consoles. "Teyla will meet you at the level above you. Rodney's working on a way to divert the water."

"Tell him to hurry. Thought the Ancients had safeguards for this kind of thing."

"They do, but we're flying blind in that section. Nothing's activated."Elizabeth replied. "Rodney's working on a way to reroute some of the safeguards. It's going to take a few minutes."

John bit down a curse. "Teyla better have sandbags waiting because we don't have a few minutes."

"We never do, do we?"Elizabeth replied with a grim smile. "Just get to higher ground. We'll have something for you by the time you get there."

"Have a security team meet us. I'm brining a couple of guests."

Weir frowned. "Are they the cause of the breach?"

"Don't know, found them in the same area."

"Team's on its way. Weir out."

Sam looked at Dean who shrugged. They both looked behind them at the tidal wave of water closing fast and picked up their pace.

* * *

Doctor Rodney McKay's fingers flew over his computer console. One of these days he was going to have time to reroute every computer system so he could pull up whatever he wanted from one spot.

For now Rodney had to settle for keeping what he had from losing power. They were still dealing with systems damaged from the last Wraith attack. Rodney risked a glance at the internal sensor screen and saw the water gaining on Sheppard's group fast. However they were almost to the spot Rodney needed them to be. Fifteen more seconds and he could activate the force field.

"Rodney?"Weir prompted as she moved to stand next to him.

"Fifteen seconds."McKay replied tightly his gaze not moving from the computer screen.

Sheppard heard a familiar hum and slowed his feet down. He looked behind him in time to see an Ancient force field shimmer into place.

Dean bounced into Sam slightly as the group stopped. He turned to see the wave of water crash against the energy field. The energy seemed to fade slightly but it held.

"I watch enough movies to know that isn't regulation military."Dean stated as he turned back to Sheppard.

"It's experimental."John replied smoothly. "Come on, my boss wants a few words with you."

* * *

An hour later Carson Beckett stood in Weir's office. She sat behind her desk, hands folded in front.

"Did you get their fingerprints?"Weir asked.

The Scot nodded. "Yes and sent them off to SGC."

"Good."Weir replied. "They should be able to pull up any police records they may have. At least we'll know if they're telling the truth."

* * *

"Well at least they didn't throw us in the brig."Dean commented as he leaned against the wall of a small conference room.

Sam, however, was pacing the space by the door. From one corner to the other and back again. He didn't smile at his brother's joke.

"I don't see why they would've. We haven't done anything wrong."Sam replied quietly. "None of this makes any sense."

"Since when have our lives made sense, Sammy?"Dean asked as he studied the rather plain décor of the room. "Careful what you say I'm sure somebody's listening to every word."

Sam eyes narrowed into a slight glare. "No reason to listen in on us. I just can't figure out where they came from. There were no military bases anywhere near us."

Dean smirked. "Who said they were regulation military? That one dude's hair alone wouldn't pass regs."

John,Teyla,Rodney and Ronon stood in a conference room next door. They were able to listen and watch their two new visitors via some retrofitted ancient/Asguard technology.

John smirked at Dean's last comment. "I'm starting to like this guy."

"You might not after you read their police files."Elizabeth stated as she entered the room carrying two manila file folders.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one

"So who are they?"Teyla asked quietly as she leaned against the wall.

Elizabeth handed Dean's file to John as she said. "Dean and Sam Winchester. Brothers from Lawerence, Kansas. Drifters from what SGC has been able to pull together."

John frowned. "How did two drifters get a hold of Ancient technology?"

"Good question."Elizabeth replied as she sat down. "At least we know they're human from Beckett's physical."

"Which gets us nowhere."Rodney asked from his spot next to Teyla. "We got the water drained in that section and my team is working on getting the shield back up but its slow going."

John was done reading the first page of Dean's file and handed it to Ronon as he continued to read. "If the stuff in here is accurate we can't let these guys know where they are."

Elizabeth nodded. "Which leads us to the main problem. How do we find out where they got this technology without letting them know that aliens and intergalactic space travel exist?"

"Why not let them know?"Ronon asked as he finished reading what John had handed him. "If they're killers and we send them back home who's going to believe that they were on another planet?"

"He has a point."Rodney acknowledged. "For once."

Elizabeth nodded. "SGC wants us to find out how they got here sooner rather than later so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Maybe Ronon's right….maybe we should try the fly to honey routine."

"All these guys have is each other."John commented as he looked up from the file. "They're not going to roll over on the other."

Elizabeth nodded. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Rodney check in with your team see how the repair work is going. Then take Teyla and go down there and see what your scans can pick up that maybe internal sensors didn't. John,Ronon, I want you two to be in charge of our guests. Play good cop,bad cop. Whatever you need to do to find out how they got here. John, when they're not with you keep a security team on them. At least until we clear up things in that file. Let's go."

* * *

Normally John Sheppard detested being left with babysitting duty. Not what he joined the military for. But as he walked toward the conference room John couldn't help but feel that this was going to be an interesting one.

After entering the room John picked up the chair and spun it around so he could sit on it and lean on the back. He looked at the two Winchester brothers he just couldn't peg them as cold hard killers like their records said. But then he'd been wrong before.

"Okay,let's start this again. I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, United States Air Force. This is Ronon Dex,member of my team. I now know you two are Dean and Sam Winchester born in Lawerence,Kansas."

Dean stood having had enough of his time wasted. He was after all on a clock."Good. Now that we know who each other is, can we go now?"

John shook his head as he leaned forward on the chair. "First you have to tell us how you got here."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation. "We don't know where here is. All I know is that we dug this thing out of the wall of a cave. Everything went blue and we ended up here with a killer headache."

Dean caught the look on Sheppard's face at Sam's explanation. He'd been around the unusual and the unknown long enough to know when something was off. And something was definitely off here and Sheppard knew it.

Dean leaned his hands on the surface on the table as he looked straight at Sheppard. "We're not in Maine any more are we?"

"No."Dex replied quietly.

Sam came to stand next to his brother. "Look, I know you've pulled our police files by now. And I know they look bad…….but I can assure you we aren't killers."

John met Sam's gaze. "Maybe, but a lot of people seem to die around you two. But that's the lesser of two evils right now. What exactly was this thing you pulled out of the wall?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know we never got it all the way out. It was square with these weird symbols."

John pulled out his keycard and flipped it over. He set it on the table facing Sam. Just above the normal black strip was a row of Ancient lettering.

"Like these?"

Sam studied it for a minute before nodding."Yeah."

John sighed as he picked up the keycard. He remembered how confused he was when the whole Ancient gene thing and Gate travel was explained to him.

"Okay."John began as he stood. "This is going to be a lot for you to take in but it is the truth. You're on a planet called Lantea."

Dean's head snapped up. "Did you say planet?"

"It's in the Pegasus galaxy."

Sam's mind was spinning. It just couldn't be true. But then demons,ghosts,vampires,gates of hell why not space travel?

"Wait."Sam said as he struggled to wrap his mind around what Sheppard was saying."Just wait. Are you seriously telling us that by touching that metal box we got zapped to another galaxy that the air force just happened to have a base on?"

"That basically puts it in a nutshell."


	5. Chapter 5

Added a new scene to chapter three. Beckett/Weir

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam stumbles on a text that eventually propels them to another galaxy.

"This is sounding more and more like a bad version of Men in black."Dean stated as he rubbed a hand over his forehead. The headache had gone down to a dull thud but it was still there.

"They need to see where they are."Ronon suggested as he stood.

"Yeah."Sheppard agreed seeing that Atlantis 101 was just overwhelming the Winchesters. Though he knew he couldn't show them the gate yet, too much of a security breach. Maybe seeing the city would make reality kick in. "One grand tour coming up."

Dean was not someone who was easily impressed. However when he saw the alien city they were in for the first time somebody could've literally knocked him over with a feather.  
If they had feathers here.

Dean leaned against the railing and stared at the city below. The white of the building architecture bouncing off the brilliant blue of the surrounding ocean.The water was like nothing Dean had ever seen. It was almost as if it was untouched.  
Completely pure.

"Amazing."Sam stated as he stood next to Dean. He looked over at Sheppard. "And you said this was all underwater when you arrived?"

Sheppard nodded as he leaned against the railing on the left side of Dean. "Yeah. We had to get it to the surface, once we realized it could get to the surface. Power systems were failing etc….."

"Colonel,these are our two guests?"Elizabeth asked with a smile as she approached the group even though she already knew..

Sheppard straightened as he,Dean and Sam turned around. "Yes. Doctor Elizabeth Weir this is Sam and Dean Winchester."

"Pleasure."Dean replied with a smile as he extended his hand toward the older woman. She carried herself like a politician but in the best sense of the word.

"Sam,Dean."John stated. "Dr. Weir is the head of our little expedition here."

"You're not military."Sam surmised as he leaned back against the railing. He was extremely curious about this blend of people.

Elizabeth smiled being taken by the intelligence and wit in Sam's eyes."No. I was a negotiator at the State Department before being recruited to Atlantis."

"So Dr. Weir."Dean began not wanting to create tension but he was already tired of the constant babysitters."Why were we given the third degree and the not so pleasant physical? I know you have our records but you can't judge our lives from the police point of view."

Elizabeth nodded. "I apologize if we came across a bit tough. But being out here we've learned the hard way that trust is scarce. We had no idea who you were or how you got into the city."

Sam laid a calming hand on his brother's right shoulder. "We understand,Dr. Weir. My brother and I are just a bit fried. It's been a stressful six months or so. And now we're suddenly stuck on another planet with no idea of how we got here."

Elizabeth glanced at Sheppard. "John, have you figured anything out with what they've told you of what device this was?"

Sheppard shook his head. "Sam said it was a metal box with Ancient lettering on it. They were trying to pull it out of a cave wall when there was a flash of blue and they ended up here. But then Goul'd and Ancient markings have similarities."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Goul'd?"

"Symboients."Ronon replied quietly Sam had almost forgotten he was there. "They claim people as hosts. They have control over body and mind."

"Nasty things."Sheppard added with a shudder. "But the trade off of losing control of your soul is you get to live forever."

Sam thought back to the writing he had uncovered. Maybe this Goul'd was the eternal that kept repeating over and over. Sam knew there had to be a catch to it. Maybe there was some way to work that to Dean's advantage.

"When can we go home?"Dean asked tiredly. He just wanted to enjoy the ten months he had left. Enjoyment meant hunting. Hunting with Sam.

"I'm afraid not yet."Elizabeth replied as she studied Dean. She was picking up a vibe from him. She wasn't sure what…..

"Why?"Dean asked."We've proven we're not a threat."

"Technically you haven't."Weir replied. "There are a hell of a lot of questions that your files bring up."

"Fire away."Dean stated. He'd answer whatever as long as it quickened their way home.

"The death of the security guard in the bank robbery?"

"Accidental."

"He was accidentally shot to death?"Sheppard asked.

"Yeah."Sam replied quietly."The SWAT team shot him."

"Why were you two in the bank that late?"

Sam exchanged a glance with his brother. How much do they tell them? How much would they believe?

"It doesn't matter any more Sam."Dean replied to his brother's unasked question.

Sam hit the railing with his hand in frustration. He'd had this conversation with Dean many times since Cold Oak. He was getting tired of it ending the same way.

"Damn it, Dean."Sam swore his raised voice gaining curious glances from the Atlantis team. "Your life matters. Why are you giving up so easily?"

Dean laughed bitterly. "Easily? Sammy, I made the deal remember?"

"There's a way out of every deal. Didn't Dad teach us that?"

Dean shook his head. He still hadn't told his brother of the demon's terms.

"Not this one, Sammy. Not this one."Dean replied quietly. "And if that's what you dragged me to Maine for you can forget it. Come find me when you've worked out a way with them to get us home."

Dean stalked past a startled Elizabeth and was halfway down the interior hallway before Weir recovered.

"Ronon…."

"On him."Dex replied having already started to move.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for all the reviews. Please keep them coming. :)

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam stumbles on a text that eventually propels them to another galaxy.

Dean stalked past a startled Elizabeth and was halfway down the interior hallway before Weir recovered.

"Ronon…."

"On him."Dex replied having already started to move.

"What the hell was that about?"Sheppard asked looking at Dean's retreating back.

"We've been through a lot."Sam apologized quietly.

"Sam,what were you talking about when you said your brother had given up?"Weir asked."Dean's not sick….our doctor didn't' pick up anything in his scans."

Sam sighed blinking hard to fight back the fresh wave of tears that threatened. It'd been extremely hard to deal with the fact that Dean gave up his life to save him. That he'd given up his future. That he thought so little of himself.

"Sam?"Elizabeth prompted gently seeing the turmoil on the younger man's face.

Sam met her gaze. "Two months ago my brother literally made a deal with a devil to save me."

John raised an eyebrow."Devil?"

"Is there somewhere we can sit?"Sam asked."I'll explain everything."

"Of course."Weir replied.

* * *

It took Dean awhile but he was able to loose his tail. Though part of him knew that with the advanced technology of this city Dex could find out where he was whenever he wanted to.

If his bearings were correct Dean figured he was on the west side of the city. A far less populated area.

Dean leaned against the wall of a building and looked out at the water. He didn't know what it was but his instincts were screaming at him. The longer they stayed here the worse his gut feeling got.

Dean was afraid that the demon might consider this little galaxy hop a break of the deal. He knew that fear might be irrational but Dean couldn't take the chance.

* * *

Sam had been sitting at the end of the round conference table. Pent up anxious,nervous energy caused him to stand and push the chair away. Two sets of eyes were watching his every move, waiting. Sam had no idea where to start. Explaining their lives to outsiders had never been easy.  
Finally Sam decided to start with the beginning.

"To say the lives of my brother and I have never been normal would be an understatement."Sam began quietly. "When I was six months old my mother was killed in a fire that started in the nursery. She had come in that night to check on me. A demon in human form was waiting for her."

John blinked,he'd heard wrong,had to. There was no such thing as demons.

"Elizabeth, did Beckett do a psychiatric exam?"Sheppard asked quietly.

"No, but I'm beginning to think I should've ordered one."Weir replied her gaze locked on Sam.

Sam leaned against the table his hands flattened against the surface. "I'm not crazy. I know this sounds nuts, but I'm hoping that two people who traveled to another galaxy will hear me out."

"Go ahead."Weir replied as she leaned back in her chair.

Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "After my mother was killed we criss-crossed the country. My father constantly looking for the demon who turned our lives upside down. He'd leave us with friends until we were old enough to hunt."

John studied the youth in front of him. He'd spent a career reading people. Helped in poker games and knowing who to watch your back. This kid seemed to believe what he was saying. If you had told him five years ago there were things like the Wraith he'd have handed over a straight jacket. So who was to say if ghosts and demons weren't real.

"So you're from a family of ghostbusters?"John asked.

Sam nodded. "Minus the proton packs. It was a matter of necessity really. My father wanting to train us….to protect us. To have us be able to defend ourselves in case he wasn't there. Along the trail of finding this demon…..we helped people we came across. People who were haunted by spirits trapped. Or we'd investigate mysterious deaths. Eventually I earned a scholarship to Stanford and went to study pre-law."

"Why'd you leave a free ride at Ivy league?"John asked.

Sam paused as images and memories of Jessica flooded him."When I left for college my relationship with my family was strained. So when Dean showed up at my apartment one night I knew my normal college life was over. He said our father was missing and needed my help. I didn't want to go at first….but then the demon showed up and my girlfriend Jessica was killed…..the same as my mother. I couldn't let the demon get away with it."

"Sorry."Sheppard stated seeing the pain on the younger man's face.

Sam acknowledged Sheppard with a nod. "We tracked my father down and it was almost like old times. The three of us hunting again."

"You're father's not with you any more is he?"Elizabeth asked reading between the lines.

A shadow flickered across Sam's face. "No. He was killed last year……sacrificed himself to save my brother."

"I'm sorry."Weir replied softly as she leaned forward. She didn't know why but she believed him. What he had told them of their early lives fit into the pattern of their police files. "This demon…..did your father ever track it down?"

Sam nodded. "Yes and two months ago my brother and I finally ended it. Dean killed the demon but not before some nasty spirits were released from hell."

"And how exactly were they released?"John asked even though he didn't really want to know. Images of the Wraith waking after he had disturbed them flashed through his mind.

"There was a door in a cemetery……"

"Of course there was."John muttered.

"We couldn't get it closed quickly enough."Sam finished.

"But it is closed now?"Weir asked.

"Yes."

"So what were you doing in this cave?"Sheppard asked. "Sea monster? Pirate ghost?"

Sam shook his head as he took a seat. He couldn't tell if they fully believed him or not. But at least they weren't asking if he had spent any time in a mental ward.

"I have visions…..snatches of images of people in trouble."

"Supernatural trouble."Elizabeth surmised.

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"So this has to do with the cave, how?"John asked impatiently. The lack of sleep starting to take its toll.

"I have to go back in order to explain the cave."Sam replied. "I discovered there were other children like me with psychic powers. All powers had showed up within the last two years. The demon kidnapped a few of us and took us to this ghost town in South Dakota."

"Where else."John replied sarcastically earning a warning glare from Weir. "Sorry."

"The demon appeared to each of us separately and said only one was going to be strong enough to survive. In the end it was down to Jake and I. Just as Dean had found the town and figured out where I was…..Jake literally stabbed me in the back. Jake got away. As my brother caught me I remember the searing pain from the knife and then nothing but numbing cold. Dr. Weir, Colonel Sheppard…..you're looking at a dead man."


	7. Chapter 7

For plot purposes this will also become a SG-1 crossover. I'll be adding Daniel Jackson in the next few chapters. :)

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam stumbles on a text that eventually propels them to another galaxy.

Ronon found Winchester exactly where he expected to. That's why he hadn't been too concerned when Winchester had vanished from view. This was a less populated area of the city. The quietness of which had enticed Ronon when he had first arrived at Atlantis. A place he had found himself coming more often than not. He had been alone for so long and then to be thrust back into a group…..this area had brought him a bit of sanctuary. He had a feeling it was the same for Winchester.

"Unless you're here to tell me I'm going home you can turn around and leave."Dean stated his gaze never leaving the water.

Dex shook his head as he came around the corner of the building. "Dr. Weir wants to know how you arrived here."

Dean sighed. "Sam can fill her in on that. What does she need me for?"

"She doesn't know if you're a threat or not."

Dean laughed. "If she really thought I was a threat she'd have sent more than you after me."

"Perhaps."

Dean looked at his babysitter. "You're not from Earth."

"No."

"How'd you end up taking orders from Sheppard?"

"The Wraith attacked my people…..savagely….brutally. Nearly wiping us out. I was captured and taken aboard a hive ship. There the Wraith decided that I would be of more use than food. They planted a transmitter in my back and let me go. Part of a game to them, you see. They hunted me across planet after planet until I ran into Sheppard and his team. I captured Sheppard and Teyla. Once they heard what the Wraith did to me they offered help. Beckett was able to remove the transmitter and I was free. Through Sheppard and his team I learned what became of my home world….."Ronon paused the memory still painful. "With my world destroyed I decided to stay and fight, to take out as many Wraith as I could."

* * *

Weir opened her mouth to speak but Sam waved her off. "Please, let me finish. The stab wound was fatal…..Jake did succeed in killing me that day…..that was how he was allowed to leave the town. In his grief my brother did a desperate thing."

"The deal with the devil you mentioned earlier."Weir said quietly.

Sam swallowed hard fighting to keep the emotions at bay. He needed these people's help if he was going to save his brother. "Yes. He traded his soul for my life.  
I've been looking for a way to break the contract…..a loop hole….anything. That research brought me to the cave. I had run across this old text that had been uploaded to an internet library. I couldn't read the language but eventually I figured out bits of it. Enough that one word kept popping up over and over…..Eternal. Once I had that word I was able to do more research of the text and it eventually led me to this cave where that metal box was buried."

Sam paused a moment before looking at Weir. "I know Dean wants to leave, but I can't. Not yet. If there's something here that will help my brother I have to find it. Will you help me?"

Weir and Sheppard exchanged glances before Weir nodded. "On the condition you tell us exactly where that cave is so SGC can send a team to retrieve the device."

For the first time in weeks Sam genuinely smiled. "No problem."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the delay in posting. Been a lot of heavy thunderstorms this week in my area of Northern IL. Thanks for all the reviews. Please keep them coming.

Oh and since Atlantis's timeline for this story is AU so will SG-1

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam stumbles on a text that eventually propels them to another galaxy.

Doctor Daniel Jackson groaned. A sound was penetrating his slumber. One he definitely didn't want or need. He didn't have to look at a clock to know he'd only been asleep a few hours. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had eight solid uninterrupted hours of sleep.

The noise continued and Daniel's mind finally registered the sound as someone pounding on his door. He'd crashed at some spare quarters at SGC instead of going back to his apartment. Since they had several back to back missions coming up it hadn't made any sense to go home.  
Now as Daniel buried his head further under his pillow, he wished he had.

"Come on,Daniel, open up."Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell's impatient and just as weary voice called from the hallway.

With a sigh Daniel kicked the covers off and sat up. He swung his legs to the side of the bed and got up. He padded barefoot to the door leaving the lights off. Opening the door Daniel faced his commanding officer.

"Is Earth being attacked?"Daniel asked through a yawn. Because if it wasn't, he was going back to bed.

Mitchell shook his head. "No, but…."

Daniel heard what was coming and closed his eyes. He held up his hand. "Don't say it."

"I don't like it either, Daniel."Cameron replied as he rubbed a weary hand along the back of his neck. "But when duty calls, duty calls. Gear up and meet me in Landry's office in fifteen. Teal'C and Vala are still offworld."

"What's this about?"Daniel asked quietly knowing already it was something big.

"Weir's team stumbled across something. Might be a threat, might not. Need our help to figure out what it is."

"Alright."Jackson replied his interest piqued. "I'll be ready in ten. We going to Atlantis?"

"No. For now anyway we're staying planetside."

* * *

With Sam outside on the balcony with a security guard, Sheppard pulled Weir aside.

"Does it make me crazy if I believe the kid?"John asked in a hushed voice.

Elizabeth smiled as she shook her head. "I'd be in the padded cell with you since I believe him too. I sent the location of the cave Sam gave us on to SGC."

"Since we believe them does that mean we trust them?"Sheppard asked as he leaned back against the wall of the Operations center.

"We need to know how that device works."Weir replied. "It'll be a few hours until we hear back from SGC. So we'll give Sam enough clearance to use the Ancient database…..see if there's something there to help his brother."

Sheppard shook his head. "I don't think the Ancients were into saving souls, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth sighed. "I know, but we haven't gone though every bit of information in there. Maybe he'll find something we haven't come across yet."

"You know if we give him access to that we'll have to tell them about the Gate."

Weir nodded. "Can't be helped. When Ronon comes back with Dean, show them the gate room. I'm going to check on Rodney and find some quarters for our guests."

"Okay."John replied moving back outside and relieving the guard that was babysitting Sam.

* * *

After years of being on SG-1 Daniel Jackson thought he couldn't be amazed any more. Thought he had heard everything. Thought nothing would phase him. However now he stood gaping at the head of SGC.

"Say that again."

Landry motioned for his two companions to take a seat. "Two drifters in their twenties some how ended up on Atlantis after finding a box shaped device in a cave in Maine."

"Drifters."Mitchell repeated with a shake of his head. "Were they looking for something else and stumbled across this or are they part of the black market?"

Landry shrugged. "Don't know. Weir sent us the location of the cave. I need you two to go get this thing and bring it back here."

"Do we have any idea what it looks like?"Daniel asked quietly knowing he could at least sleep on the plane.

"Just that it's metal and has Ancient markings on it."

Daniel shook his head. "It had to have an incredible power source to send them to Atlantis…..can't just create a wormhole out of nothing."

Landry smiled. "That's what I want you two to find out."

"Yes,Sir."Mitchell replied as he stood.

Landry handed Jackson two folders."This is all the info Weir and the SGC have been able to pull together on our two drifters."

"Okay."Daniel replied as he took the folders and headed toward the door.

"We'll report in once we have the device."Mitchell stated quietly as he lead the way out of the office.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See part one

Reluctantly Dean followed Ronon back to Atlantis's command center. It still seemed surreal to him that the wind ruffling his hair wasn't Earth's. That the waves crashing weren't from any ocean he knew.

They found Sheppard and Sam talking on the balcony they had been on earlier.

"Hey."Sam greeted his brother. "You okay?"

"You get us a ticket home?"Dean asked sidestepping the question.

"No."

Dean glanced at Sheppard. "Can I have a minute with my brother?"

Sheppard nodded and motioned to Ronon. "We'll be inside. Stay in view."

* * *

Weir found Rodney in his lab gaze intent on the computer in front of him.

"Rodney….."

"Haven't been able to get down there yet."McKay replied without looking up. "The last of the water was just drained out."

"How long?"Elizabeth asked as she moved to stand next to him.

"Probably another ten minutes. I want to make sure the shield is stabilized enough before we go back in there."

"Keep me posted. I want to know how our guests got into my city."

"Where are our new friends anyway?"McKay asked finally looking up from the screen.

"John should be explaining the gate to them about now."

"Elizabeth……"McKay protested.

"Trust me,Rodney. I know what I'm doing."Weir replied as she left.

Rodney watched her leave with a worried frown. It wasn't that he didn't trust Weir's instincts. He'd trust them no matter what. She'd saved his life more times than he cared to count.

But his own instincts were screaming at him that sharing something like the Gate with less than trustworthy individuals seemed too much of a risk.

Rodney sighed and exited out of the screens he'd been working on. It was time to go meet Teyla and see what they could find.

* * *

"There's something here that can help you, Dean, I know it."Sam argued his hands tightening on the balcony rail.

"All we're doing is wasting time,Sammy."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Not to deny whatever physic whammy you have going on, but you need to let this go."Dean pleaded after everything he wasn't loosing Sam to his own stubbornness. "There is no way to get me out of this."

"Dean,please….."Sam replied he just couldn't understand why his brother wasn't fighting. Dean always fought.

Dean rubbed a hand across his face. "Sam, we've been over this and over this."

Sam moved so he was toe to toe with his brother. "And we'll go over it again."He paused his voice cracking slightly. "I'm not going to be the only one left. They've taken everyone I love, Dean…….everyone…..don't make me add you to that list….not without a fight."

"It's already done, Sammy."

Sheppard cleared his throat as he and Ronon stepped back onto the balcony. "Sorry to interrupt, but there are some things here I need to show you. Weir has cleared it and I can't promise anything but they may hold the answers you need."

Sam stared at Sheppard struggling to quell the hope that was flooding him. There was a way to save his family, there just had to be.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks as always for the reviews. And if I have any of my gateology wrong, please let me know. I'm going from memory and websites.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See part one

Teyla and Rodney ran their flashlights along every inch of wall near where the Winchester brothers had been found. The floor was still a bit slippery. The environmental systems weren't online yet so the air in the corridor was chilly and with a hint of mildew.

"I'm not detecting any kind of energy down here at all."Rodney grumbled as he glanced down at his handheld scanner.

"Maybe there's some kind of shield."Teyla suggested as she walked ahead of Mckay.

McKay shrugged. "I just don't understand it. Even if whatever they used to get here was dormant it still would've had an energy signal. You need a hell of a lot of power to jump from one galaxy to another."

Teyla tuned Rodney out. Her gaze had settled on something in the wall in front of her. A symbol was etched into the tile. A symbol that was familiar to her yet it wasn't. Teyla took a step forward tentively reaching her hand toward the symbol.

The next second the corridor and Rodney vanished around her.

"Teyla!"Rodney called scrambling forward to where his friend had been just a second before.

There had been nothing to warn of her disappearance. No flash of light. No flash of energy.

Nothing.

Rodney ran his scanner over the area where Teyla had been standing. A faint energy signature registered and Rodney quickly saved the information. At least it would be a starting point.  
Something to report back to Weir with.

"I'll be back with the Calvary,Teyla."Rodney promised before turning and running as fast as he could back toward the main area of Atlantis.

* * *

Sam Winchester placed his right hand on the outer circle of the Stargate to assure himself that it was real.

It looked like something that should be in a museum Something that should be protected and preserved.To think that a race of humans had such advanced technology thousands of years ago to build this gate system was just mind-blowing.

"This is just unbelievably cool."Sam whispered as his gaze traveled the length of the gate taking in each symbol.

Dean had been in realms that only dimension shifting demons could take him. He'd literally stared into the gates of hell. He'd gone rounds with vampires and werewolves. He'd been healed by a Reaper. And that only scratched the surface of their lives

Now as he watched his brother stare mesmerized at the Stargate, Dean couldn't help but be a bit awed too. He struggled to focus on what Sheppard was telling them.

"The original gate was discovered by Catherine Langford's father in Giza, Egypt in 1928. It wasn't until 1995 when Catherine was able to petition the Pentagon to form a team to research her father's greatest discovery. In 1997 Dr. Daniel Jackson was recruited to the team by Catherine personally. In less than a month he uncovered what the team had been working two years on. He found that the symbols were actually constellations and they formed a star map. He also figured out the symbol for the seventh chevron and they were finally able to activate the gate."

Dean glanced at Sheppard. "So the government's been space….sorry galaxy traveling for a decade and nobody knew about it?"

"For security reasons gate travel had to be kept classified. A few other governments know about it. Russia for example since a second gate was found in their country."

"Can two gates operate at once?"Sam asked walking back and forth in front of the gate trying to take it all in.

John smirked. "Unfortunately no. Creates a bit of a headache if the two wormholes connect or collide."

* * *

Rodney was moving fast. Faster than he had in his life. He was almost halfway to his destination before he remembered that he had grabbed a radio at the last minute. Frustrated with himself, Rodney snatched the device out of his jacket pocket and hit the talk button.

"McKay to Weir."

"Go ahead, Rodney."

"I need you and Sheppard and everyone down here now! I've lost Teyla."

John broke off mid sentence as he heard McKay's plea to Weir crackle over the radio. He glanced at Ronon who was already moving to stand closer.

"McKay,"John ordered urgently. "Repeat that again,slowly. What do you mean you've lost her?"

"Just what I said."Rodney snapped his breathing ragged as he came to a halt."She was there and then she wasn't."

"Rodney,"Weir replied calmly. "We're on our way. John, I have quarters for our friends near Ford's old one. Drop them off there and then meet us."

"Copy."Sheppard acknowledged as he looked to where Ronon was standing but his friend was already gone.  
As close as Ronon and Teyla were Sheppard wasn't surprised.

"Come on."John said to Sam and Dean as he motioned them toward the door.

Dean began to follow but Sam stubbornly stayed where he was.

"No."

Dean glanced back at his brother with a warning look. "Sam."

Before Sam could reply a familiar feeling started creeping through his skull. It was the beginning of something he'd gotten used to, but when it came it still sent him reeling.  
The images flashed through Sam's mind at lighting speed. Along with the images came the all too familiar skull splitting pain.

Sam felt himself clutch his head with his hands just as his knees gave out and he sank to the floor.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Sam's desperate quest to break the devil's deal leads them on a journey to another galaxy.

The first thing Cameron Mitchell noticed when they finally arrived at the Maine coast was the car.

"Wow, look at that beauty."Mitchell stated as he got out of the military jeep.

Jackson followed his friend's gaze to the car. "Think it's the Winchester's?"

"Has to be."Cameron replied as he reached the black car. "Looks like they keep it in pretty good condition…..1967 Chevy Impala…..nice."

Daniel tried the passenger side door. "Not locked."

After several minutes of searching Mitchell pulled himself out of the car. "Not much of interest here. Except for some bad eating habits."

Daniel got out of the car and looked it over once more. "Pop the trunk."

"We're wasting daylight here, Daniel."Mitchell grumbled. "We're here to get the thing and go home, that's it."

Daniel ignored him. "They live on the road. They're not going to keep everything in the car….visible to everyone."

With a resigned sigh Mitchell reached over and hit the trunk release.

Daniel opened the lid just as his commanding officer reached his side.

"See, nothing."

"Aren't you curious about them?"Daniel asked as he started to search through the small amount of luggage. "Sam had a free ride at Stanford. Probably would've had a free ride at law school if he'd continued. How'd he go from that promising future to committing crimes with his brother?"

"Maybe school was too much."Mitchell replied as he leaned against the car. "Happens."

Daniel shook his head as he moved to the second duffle bag which turned out to be Sam's."There has to be more to this."

"Why?"

Daniel paused in his search to look at his friend. "How'd they end up here, Cameron? Even if they were on a treasure hunt for something to sell on the black market that info just doesn't drop out of the sky. Something just doesn't add up."

Mitchell shrugged. "They've probably been doing this all their lives….have sources."

"Maybe."Daniel replied as he continued looking through Sam's bag.

Just as Daniel was about to give up his hand closed around a leather bound book. Daniel pulled the book out and brought it into the sunlight.

"Think I might have something here."Daniel stated as he turned the book over for Mitchell to see."It's definitely well used."

"I think dog-eared is the better term."Mitchell replied as Jackson gently opened the book and began to page through it. "Those are hand written notes."

"It's a journal."Jackson commented."From its age I'd guess it's their father's."

* * *

"Sam!"Dean called instantly dropping to his knees next to his brother. Sam had only had a couple visions since Cold Oak, neither had amounted to much except a lot of pain. Sam had wondered if this was a side affect of being brought back.

Sheppard moved toward the brothers, radio in one hand. He remembered what Winchester had said about having visions so he was reluctant to contact Beckett just yet. But seeing the pain the youth was in was making Sheppard keep the radio at the ready just in case.

"Sam."Dean called as his brother curled farther into a ball. "Sam, talk to me."

Sam struggled to get past the pain. But this was worse than any vision before. It was like someone was pressing an ice pick against the center of his forehead from the inside out. He heard Dean's voice and finally found the strength to respond.

"Dean…….hurts."Sam choked out hating that he sounded like a five year old. But the pain was so over whelming that he couldn't concentrate on anything else.

"I know, buddy, I know."Dean soothed wondering why Sam would have a vision now, so far from home.

"That's it."Sheppard stated as he knelt next to Dean. "I'm calling the infirmary."

Dean shook his head as he looked over at Sheppard. "Not yet, just trust me. He'll be okay."

"Alright."Sheppard replied quietly. "He told us about the visions…..and everything else."

"Figured he might. Do you believe us?"

Sheppard nodded. "Not sure why, but yeah, I do."

Dean turned back to Sam who was starting to recover a bit."Sammy, what did you see?"

Sam slowly pulled himself into a sitting position "A woman with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a uniform like yours."

Fear clutched at John's heart. "Teyla. She was working with McKay trying to figure out how you two got here. Did you see where she was?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm sorry, no. The images I get come in snatches….broken."

"Is she alive?"Sheppard asked quietly.

"Yes."Sam replied."But it was weird…..wherever she was it was dark and it was almost like she was fading."


	12. Chapter 12

My goal was to get a new chapter posted before the season three premiere. Didn't quite make that, but enjoy anyway. I'm off work for a week's vacation so hopefully I'll have a couple more chapters posted before I return to work next week.  
Thanks as always for the reviews.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam runs across a lead that eventually sends them on a journey to another galaxy.

"Table it for later."Mitchell ordered as Daniel got barely a glimpse of the first few pages of the journal.

Cameron and Daniel repelled down to the water line. They unhooked from the repel lines and carefully made their way into the cave. The tide had receded leaving the water only ankle deep.

"How in hell did an Ancient device end up here?"Mitchell muttered as he sloushed through the dark water.

Daniel kept his flashlight trained straight ahead as he replied. "More than likely this wasn't even a cave at the time the Ancients were on Earth. Could've been a crevice could've been a lot of things."

Mitchell's light landed on the far wall where Sam and Dean had been digging. "Found it."

Daniel's curiosity piqued when he saw how much of the device the brothers had been able to pull from the wall. From what he could see it looked to be the width of a safety deposit box.

Mitchell pulled a backpack off his shoulders and took out a small garden shovel. "Let's get started."

Daniel held up his hand. "Let me try something first."

"You do realize that if you set this thing off it'll take you three days to get back home?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

Daniel pulled a pair of gloves from his jacket pocket and put them on. He had come up with a theory on the way here that the device was activated by skin touch. That way it knew the activator's touch was human and proceeded accordingly.

"Let me have your shovel."Jackson stated as he moved toward the wall.

Mitchell moved to stand next to his friend and handed over the shovel.

Carefully Daniel placed the shovel in the wall just to the right of the device. As an afterthought Daniel decided to try once to pull it out. He planted his feet against the wall and gripped either end of the device.  
Just as Daniel was about to give up and reach for the shovel he felt the dirt around the device start to give. He got a better grip and pulled once more. The dirt began to crumble from the bottom of the device.

"It's coming."Mitchell commented.

Daniel gave one more strong tug and suddenly felt himself flying backwards. He splash landed a few feet back from Mitchell but managed somehow to keep the device out of the water.

"Got it."Daniel stated wryly.

"Good job."Mitchell replied with a grin as he offered his friend a hand up.

Daniel took his hand and slowly rose to his feet careful not to let the device touch any exposed skin. Under Mitchell's flashlight the two saw that the device was the width of a safety deposit box and the length of an average laptop computer.

Mitchell swung his flashlight back to the hole in the wall. "Where is the power source for this thing?"

Daniel looked at the dark empty hole to the device in his hands. "Maybe it's all here."

"Can't be."

"Why not? They built so many amazing things, Cameron. Why not a portable gate?"

* * *

Sheppard, Dean and a still slightly woozy Sam joined up with Weir, McKay and Ronon.

"I thought you were escorting our guests to their quarters?"Elizabeth asked as they stood in the corridor that was now lighted with several portable lights.

"Sam has info on Teyla."John replied quietly.

"I don't see how that's possible."Rodney stated not glancing up from his laptop as he continued to scan for the energy source that he'd seen earlier.

"And you would know that how?"Dean asked. "You know nothing about my brother and me."

"I know enough."McKay replied not bothering to mask the anger in his voice. "If you two knuckleheads hadn't messed with something you don't know about Teyla wouldn't be missing."

Dean took a step forward. "Knuckleheads? Listen buddy if you'd seen half the things we've seen you'd turn green as these walls."

Weir moved to stand in front of Dean. "Dean, Sam, this is Dr. Rodney Mckay, one of our lead scientists and I apologize for his behavior. He tends to speak before he thinks when he's worried."

"Only when he's worried?"John asked sarcastically.

"Still in the room here."Rodney replied finally looking up from his laptop. "Can we concentrate on finding Teyla?"

"Oh now you want our help."Dean stated.

"Dean."Sam warned quietly.

Weir glanced over at the youth for the first time. She was shocked at the paleness of his features and the pain in Sam's eyes.

"Sam, are you alright?"

"Side affects of the visions he gets."Sheppard explained as he leaned against the wall.

Elizabeth frowned. "You had a vision about Teyla?"

Sam nodded wincing at the movement. "Yeah, just snatches of jumbled images."

"Sam thinks she's alive."Sheppard commented.

"Oh that's conclusive."Rodney stated sarcastically. "And why are we supposed to believe these visions?"

"Because they're real."Sam replied closing his eyes slightly as his headache began to intensify.

"We don't know why he had one."Dean explained. "He hasn't had one since…….since Cold Oak."

"What did you see?"Weir asked softly.

Weir's voice drew Sam away from the pain. "She was surrounded by darkness and seemed to be floating and fading at the same time."

"Fading?"Elizabeth repeated worry creeping into her voice.

"I'm sorry I can't give you more information. That's all I saw."

"Thank you."Weir replied. "For telling us."

"I wish we could be of more help."Dean said looking down at Mckay who sat on the floor his fingers flying over the laptop's keyboard.

"I thought you only got supernatural visions?"Weir asked.

"Ninety five percent of the time."Sam replied. "Sometimes they are just of people in trouble."

* * *

Once back on top of the cliff Cameron and Daniel returned to the jeep. Daniel took out a carrying case that resembled a plastic tool box. He unclipped the locks and lifted the cover. Daniel gently placed the Ancient device inside and shut the lid locking it once more. He placed it in a secure spot in the back of the jeep before he made his way to the passenger side and climbed in.

Mitchell started the jeep and turned around so they were headed back the way they came. "I'll call and arrange for the car to get transported back to SGC. Might be more clues in there."

Jackson nodded absently as he pulled the journal out of his backpack and settled back in his seat. He opened it and began to read.

Mitchell glanced at his friend and shook his head in amusement as he pulled the jeep out onto the main road and headed toward the interstate.


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks as always for the reviews.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Desperate to save his brother Sam runs across a lead that eventually sends them on a journey to another galaxy.

"Hello?"Teyla called trying to figure out what was going on. "Can anyone hear me?"

Silence.

Teyla had already tried her radio and received only static.

Teyla had realized she was able to float in her captivity only when she discovered there was no ground to speak of below her feet. So now Teyla spread her arms out in a swimming motion in an effort to see how large the area was.

Her right hand connected with something partially solid. She looked in time to see something shimmer and then darkness returned. Teyla floated the opposite direction and her left hand touched the same partially solid feeling. Again a brief shimmer and then darkness.

Teyla had no idea if she was still on Atlantis. She could only hope she was. It would make her rescue easier.  
Right now all she wanted was to see the city and her friends again.  
Atlantis had become her home.

* * *

"Rodney, show me exactly where Teyla was."Sheppard ordered after an agonizing half hour had passed with nothing but the sound of clicking keyboard keys.

"Two feet to my right."McKay replied without looking up.

Sheppard followed Rodney's instructions. When he came to a stop John scanned the area looking first at the ceiling of the corridor, then the back wall, then the wall in front of him.

It was only then that a tile at eyelevel caught John's attention. He frowned as he studied the symbol, not one he recognized. Had shades of Ancient but not close to what he knew.

On a hunch Sheppard looked over at the Winchester brothers.

"Sam, can you come here for a second?"Sheppard asked.

Sam exchanged a curious glance with Dean before replying. "Sure."

Weir followed Sam over to Sheppard. "What do you have John?"

"Not sure."Sheppard replied as he looked over at the younger Winchester."Sam, do you recognize this?"

Sam studied the symbol. "I saw it in the vision."he closed his eyes struggling to remember what he saw."I think it means protection."

Dean frowned as he looked from the symbol to his brother and back again. "I know you're a walking encyclopedia, Sammy, but how you'd come up with that one?"

Sam ran a hand along the back of his neck. "All the research I did to get us to Maine. Guess I picked up on the language a bit."

"Colonel, don't move."Rodney ordered as he finally saw a flicker of the energy signature.

Sheppard instantly became a statute.

"Rodney?"Weir asked as she looked from one man to the other with concern.

McKay didn't respond his gaze intent on the screen as his fingers flew.

"Rodney."Sheppard called impatiently."You have to learn to give a little more info when you say don't move."

"I picked up the same energy signature I got when Teyla vanished."

Sheppard let out a breath. Then he reached forward with his right hand to touch the wall.

"John."Elizabeth warned.

"I think I'll be okay."Sheppard replied quietly as he reached out to touch the tile. "I have the gene remember?"

"We don't know what they……."Elizabeth began but broke off as the wall began to shake.

Sheppard took a protective step back but didn't let go of the tile.

Slowly the section of the wall with the symbol tile began to open and slide to the left.

John let go of the tile as Ronon came to stand next to him. Both men moved to the growing opening in the wall.

"Teyla?"John called as he clicked on his flashlight.


	14. Chapter 14

Short but new. Thanks as always for the reviews

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes: See part 1  
Spoilers: AHBL pts. 1 and 2  
Summary: Xover SGASG1.Desperate to help his brother Sam stumbles across a lead that eventually takes them on a journey to another galaxy

"Teyla?"Ronon echoed as the group slowly followed John into the room.

Rodney stood carefully balancing his laptop on one arm and followed.

"Empty."Ronon reported to the others as the flashlights continued to dance across the room.

"No."John protested sharply. "She has to be here."

* * *

"Cameron, do you believe in ghosts?"Daniel asked as they sat on the plane home a half hour later. He'd gotten almost half way through the journal of John Winchester. If any of what was in the journal was true than the Winchesters had lived amazing lives.

Mitchell did a double take. "Where did that question come from?"

Daniel grinned. "That's not an answer."

Mitchell had learned a long time ago to let Daniel's thought process go the way he wanted them to. Saved everybody a major headache.

Cameron turned in his seat to face his friend. "You ascended and I know that's different than sprits. I don't know, Daniel, I just don't. I've seen a lot of things since I joined SG-1 and I'd like to believe our loved ones are there when we die. What'd you find in that book to make you ask?"

Daniel passed the journal over to Mitchell leaving it on the page he'd been on. "The Winchester's aren't drifters. They hunt the supernatural……their mother was killed by a demon when Sam was a baby…..that's what propelled them……their father couldn't let her death go unjustified."

Mitchell accepted the journal glancing down at the page in disbelief. "Demons exist?"

Daniel nodded. "Apparently and so do a lot of other scary things. And we thought we'd seen a lot being with SG-1."

* * *

"Spread out."John ordered as his flashlight played against the back wall. The room was roughly about half the size of the gate room.

Ronon's booted feet splashed into a puddle. The water from earlier had apparently drained partially into this room creating a few puddles. He raised his flashlight upwards wondering if the Winchester's arrival had risked the structural integrity of the room.

John made a slow circle. The room was empty, no sign that anything had been here for a long, long time. But John had learned the hard way that things weren't always as they appeared.

* * *

Teyla squinted against the light that flooded her prison. It took her a moment to realize that the familiar voices she was hearing were real.

Teyla called out to them only to be met with frustration; they couldn't hear her.

Some how she had to find a way to contact them.


	15. Chapter 15

Apologies for the delay….work has been nuts. Thanks as always for the reviews they keep me writing.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Spoilers: AHBL pts 1 and 2  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Xover SGA SG1. Desperate to save his brother, Sam stumbles across some text that eventually leads them on a journey to another galaxy

Dean glanced over and saw how tired his brother was. "Come on, Sam, let's go. You're about to fall over."

Sam shook his head. "No, maybe we can help."

"You led them here, that's enough."Dean replied quietly."Sam, that vision took a lot out of you not to mention this crazy galaxy hop."

"Dean…."

"Humor me, Sammy."Dean said as he pulled Sam away from the newly found room. "I just got you back…..I don't want you riskin' your health……"

"I'm staying, Dean."Sam replied firmly pulling away from his brother. "You can go if you want."

Just as Dean was about to reply a distant explosion could be heard and the floor buckled under their feet.

In his weakened state Sam was thrown to the ground and Dean into a nearby wall.

"Dean?"Sam called as he slowly eased himself to a sitting position.

"I'm okay."Dean replied gingerly moving his right arm where his elbow had hit the wall hard. "You?"

"Yeah, what was that?"

"Something not good."Sheppard replied from his spot in the center of the room. "Elizabeth?"

"Probably another wraith fishing expedition."Weir stated as she took out her radio. "Ronon and I will go check it out and escort our guests to their quarters. You and Rodney continue looking for Teyla."

"I think my brother and I can be of more use here."Sam protested as Weir moved toward him. "Two more sets of eyes will cover more ground."

Dean placed a hand on Sam's left shoulder. "Dr. Weir, my brother needs to rest. I'm worried that this last vision took too much out of him."

Elizabeth looked from one brother to the other. "I'm sorry Sam, but I think your brother's right. Colonel Sheppard is more than capable of handling things here. I'm grateful that you've given us this lead. Let's go."

Sam sighed and reluctantly followed his brother and Dr. Weir out of the hidden room.

* * *

"Amazing."Daniel murmured as he continued to flip through John Winchester's journal. They were about an hour outside of Denver.

Cameron knew better but asked anyway. "What?"

"There's a whole culture."Jackson replied not looking up from the book.

"Daniel."

"Sorry,"Daniel apologized as he met his commanding officer's annoyed gaze. "There's a whole culture that has developed around the fight against the supernatural. They call themselves hunters."

"Original."Mitchell muttered sarcastically. "So do any of them have day jobs or do they just roam the country at night?"

Daniel nodded. "Majority of them do have day jobs. However some have been so devastated by what they've experienced that they've……"

"They've what? Gone to the dark side?"

Daniel laughed. "Have given up fighting on the side of good, yes. Do you think Landry would let me speak to the Winchesters?"

Mitchell nodded. "Probably. Would give SGC the excuse to test the new videocom they've been working on. They think they have it stable enough so we can talk to Atlantis without too much time delay."

"Good, that'll help us figure out what this device is. The more real time communication we have with Atlantis the better."


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Spoilers: AHBL pts 1 and 2  
Notes: See part one  
Summary: Xover SGA SG1. Desperate to save his brother, Sam stumbles across some text that eventually leads them on a journey to another galaxy

Sleeping in a strange bed had never been a problem for Sam. It was all he knew. His brief time at Stanford had been the first time he'd had the same bed for more than a few months at a time.

Now though as he lay in a twin bed in the medium sized room, Sam found himself having trouble. He could hear his brother's soft even breathing from the other bed a few feet away and knew Dean was asleep.

Sam shook his head in amusement. Dean had always been able to catch a few hours sleep no matter what the circumstances or where they were. Training from their father, Sam supposed.

'Might as well catch a few hours while we can, Sammy.'Dean had stated after Weir had left.

Sam turned on his right side and tried once again to sleep. It'd been over an hour since Weir and Ronon and dropped them off. The distant explosions and consequent vibrations under their feet had stopped. Sam could only hope the silence was a good thing. Though he'd only been in Atlantis a short time he didn't want to see the city or it's inhabitants come to any harm.

Just before he closed his eyes Sam glanced at Dean's sleeping form and felt a familiar lump of tears rise in his throat. As much as his brother tried to prepare Sam for the inevitable he couldn't picture his life without Dean. If they didn't find a way to break the deal, in less than a year Sam would be completely alone.

That reality scared him more than anything.

Sam closed his eyes trying to quash the tears. He understood now with stark and bitter clarity why Dean had brought him back. Being alone would be a private hell. As exhaustion finally claimed him Sam vowed to stay on Atlantis as long as it took. There had to be an answer here, there just had to be.

* * *

"You've never seen that type of ship before?"Elizabeth asked Ronon as they stood in the control room.

Ronon shook his head. "No."

Elizabeth ran a hand over the back of her neck. "They didn't respond to any attempts at communication. The parts of the city that they targeted were uninhabited and possessed nothing of importance."

"They were testing the shield."Ronon replied quietly."Seeing if we were here."

Weir nodded. "Their weapons hitting the shield would've sent back information that their weapons met resistance."

"They'll try again, soon."

"I know."Weir replied quietly. "I don't want to pull Rodney away from the search for Teyla but I need him working on the shield. We need all the advantages we can get right now until we figure out who they are."


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See chapter one.

Teyla pressed against the fluxuiating walls of her prison. It was so frustrating knowing her rescue was so close but being unable to alert them.

With renewed resolve Teyla thrust her right foot down on where the floor should be and her left hand against the nearest 'wall'. She could only pray that this effort would show John and Rodney that she was still there.

* * *

John moved toward the back wall. His flashlight moved back and forth looking for one of those tiles Sam had recognized. Maybe there was another hidden room or passageway.

"Colonel!"Rodney shouted excitedly as he moved rapidly toward the right wall. "I've got the energy reading again and it's the strongest I've seen it."

Sheppard quickly followed his friend and stopped just behind him looking over McKay's shoulder at the screen.

"You think it's a connection to Teyla?"

McKay nodded. "Has to be. I'd bet next month's salary on it. I saw the same energy flux right after she disappeared."

John looked from the screen to the wall and back again. "You think it's an electronic trail of bread crumbs?"

Rodney's fingers flew as he nodded. "One more strong reading like that and I should be able triangulate them to see if they're coming from a central location."

* * *

Sam awoke with a start to find Dean hovering, his green eyes worried.

Sam eased himself into a sitting position. "What's wrong?"

Dean sat down on the edge of the bed. "You were having a nightmare. Took me awhile to wake you."

Sam leaned back against the wall. "Sorry I woke you."

"How long you've been having these, Sammy?"Dean asked quietly though he already knew the answer.

Sam sighed. He couldn't remember this particular nightmare but he was sure they were the same as the others. "Week or so after we left Cold Oak."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would've been the point of telling you, Dean?"Sam replied a little more sharply than he intended.

Dean looked away and out the small window. "I'm sorry."

Sam blinked. "For what?"

"The nightmares,the deal, everything."Dean replied quietly as he stood and walked over to the window. "I should've left you at Stanford. You would've had the normal life you wanted."

Sam shook his head. "No, I wouldn't have. Even if you hadn't shown up to go after Dad; Yellow Eye still would've killed Jess. That would've dragged me back into it no matter what."

"We have to go home, Sammy."Dean said his voice hoarse with emotion. "Maybe some of your psychic ability is rubbing off on me but I just got this feelin' that we can't stay here. I think the Crossroad's demon might think we're trying to get out of the deal by comin' here."

"Just trust me,Dean."Sam replied. "Give me a few days. I think our answer is here."

"Damn it, Sammy."Dean cursed as he moved toward his brother. "We've been over this."

"You may be ready to let go, Dean."Sam stated sadly. "But I'm not."


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks to those still reading and reviewing.

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See chapter one.

"Can't hurt to try."Teyla thought. Inspired by Rodney and John moving closer Teyla had decided to try one more thing.

Moving back a few feet, Teyla crouched down and then launched herself forward. Her arms spread wide in front as she 'flew' toward the invisible barrier.

Teyla hit the energy field hard and bounced back tumbling head over feet. She hit the back energy field and felt a sharp pain as an electric current flowed through her. Teyla had a last glimpse of John and Rodney before everything went dark as her consciousness faded.

* * *

Just as they were wrapping up their briefing with Landry the phone rang.

"I'll send them down."Landry replied as he hung up the receiver.

"Send us where?"Mitchell asked warily. He was so tired that he could drop where he stood and sleep for a month.

"One of the techs going over the car found something that you'll find interesting."

"Let's go, Daniel."Mitchell ordered quietly as he headed toward the office door.

Jackson followed Mitchell silently wondering what could've been so important that it couldn't have waited until they had some down time.

* * *

Sam left their quarters a few minutes later and Dean let him go. At the moment Dean had no energy left to argue.

More than anything Dean wanted to believe in Sam's faith that they would find something. But Dean knew he couldn't get his hopes up and he couldn't let his brother cling to a false hope.

Dean sank down on the bed and leaned against the wall. Some how he had to convince Sam that going all or nothing wasn't the way to beat the deal.

Hell, Dean thought with a smirk, it was after all the Winchester way. Especially when their backs were against the wall. Maybe, just maybe he should let Sam hope a little.


	19. Chapter 19

Apologies for the delay. During the last month I not only moved but changed careers. It was my New Year's resolution to finish fics I've been working on and this is on top of the list. Thanks to those still with me. Cindy

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See chapter one.

Mitchell and Daniel reported to a garage sized room on the level above the gate room. A young brown haired woman wearing a lab coat greeted them.

"I apologize for dragging you down here after you just got back."

"It's alright, Lieutenant Peters."Jackson replied having caught the woman's name tag just before she turned around.

"What did you find?"Mitchell asked quietly as he approached the Impala. The trunk and both doors were open.

Peters moved back toward the trunk of the car. "Quite a few things that are illegal in most states. The owners of this car could be in a world of trouble if we turned this over to the police."

Daniel approached the rear of the car to see that the brother's bags of clothes were set on the ground a few feet away. The floor of the trunk was now elevated to reveal a secret compartment.

Mitchell whistled admiringly as he looked in at the wide array of weapons lined up neatly.

"Look at all this."Daniel stated in amazement as he moved past Mitchell to reach into the trunk. "Phony ID's, guns,knives and what looks like a wicked looking machete."

"Tricks of the trade."Mitchell muttered as he leaned next to Daniel his arms resting on the back wall of the trunk.

"Whatever their trade is."Peters replied as she looked down at the items she had already listed and inventoried on her clipboard. "They're looking at serious prison time if the proper authorities ever get a hold of this car."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."Mitchell said as he straightened and turned toward the tech. "If you could send a copy of the inventory of the trunk to my office. And I'd like pictures of everything."

"Of course, Colonel."Peters replied. "I'll have it to you within the hour."

* * *

After all he'd experienced on Atlantis and other worlds John Sheppard thought he was prepared for anything. Thought not much fazed him any more. However he wasn't prepared for Teyla to materialize out of thin air and fall literally at their feet.

"Teyla!"Sheppard shouted as he knelt next to the woman's all too still form.

"Is she alive?"Rodney demanded anxiously as he closed his laptop and laid it carefully on the floor.

John swallowed hard as he nodded. He'd found a weak pulse but he didn't like how cold her skin was.

"Yeah, but get Beckett down here stat. Her pulse is weak and her breathing's not too good."

As Rodney radioed for the medical team John gently brushed hair away from Teyla's face.

"Hang in there, Teyla."John whispered having realized during the time she was missing just how much a good friend Teyla had become. "Help's coming."

* * *

Sam was sitting in the control room. He was off to the side and out of the way at one of the computers Weir had set up for him to have access on.  
Sam was scrolling through page after page of Ancient text aided by a translator program.

"How's it going?"Weir asked as she crossed the room.

Sam flashed her a rueful smile. "Slow, but then I don't know what I'm looking for."

"When Colonel……"Weir began but broke off as the radio crackled to life behind her.

"Sheppard to Weir. We've got Teyla and are headed up to the infirmary."

Sam stood and crossed the short space so he was standing behind Weir.

"Acknowledged. Good work, John."Elizabeth replied quietly. "How is she?"

"Not good."Sheppard replied in a clipped tone.

"On my way."Weir stated as she hit the button to end the radio transmission.

"Dr. Weir….."Sam began as he took a step toward her. He didn't know why but he felt the need to check on Teyla for himself. He needed to see this vision through to the end.

Elizabeth paused and placed a hand on Sam's left shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sam, you can't come with me right now. I am grateful for the help you gave us that led us to finding her. I will let you know how she is."

* * *

Rodney hovered in the doorway of the infirmary his arms folded across his chest. His worried gaze fixated on the flurry of activity in the exam room a few feet away. Rodney nearly jumped three feet as Elizabeth stepped into the doorway and stood to his left.

"How is she?"Weir asked as her gaze went from Teyla's still form to Sheppard's statute like one against the opposite wall.

Rodney cleared his throat as he fought to get moisture enough to speak. "Nearly lost her…..she flatlined once….stopped breathing. Beckett's a genius to get her this far."

Elizabeth placed a hand on Rodney's arm and squeezed it gently

John Sheppard saw Weir enter the room out of the corner of his eye but didn't acknowledge her. Protocol was the farthest thing from his mind.

John watched Beckett and his team scurry around the room in their frantic attempt to save Teyla's life. Guilt nearly overwhelmed him. John's rational mind knew that it was all part of being in command. Being in command meant putting good people in danger. He also knew it'd been Weir's order to send Teyla with Mckay but that didn't ease the guilt. He could've offered another suggestion.

John shifted to a more comfortable position against the wall as Beckett continued to bark orders. Being Beckett's friend John was able to pick up on things he wished he hadn't. Things that told John that it wasn't going well.

Little things like Beckett's Scottish brogue thickening with each order he gave; or Beckett glancing once too often at the monitors that surrounded Teyla.

/Come on Teyla./John urged silently./You're part of this family. We're not going to let you go anywhere….hang in there./


	20. Chapter 20

Made a change to chapter 17

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See chapter one.

Dean felt his eyelids start to drift close. He started to fight the sleep but then realized he might as well go back to sleep. Who knew when would be the next time he'd catch some solid zzzs.  
Dean moved away from the uncomfortable wall and down to the mattress. In seconds he was asleep.

* * *

After dropping Mitchell off at his quarters Daniel returned to Landry's office. He had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't getting any more sleep today so might as well be useful.  
Daniel knocked on the open door and Landry waved him in.

"Any clues to our new friends in the car, Dr. Jackson?"Landry inquired as Daniel entered the room.

Daniel nodded. "Several. Colonel Mitchell will have a full report for you shortly."

"Good. What can I do for you?"

"Mitchell mentioned that SGC was working on an experimental video link to Atlantis?"

Landry nodded. "Yes, the techs are still tweaking it. It's not up to their liking yet. Still has lag time."

"But better than the first run?"Daniel asked remembering how distorted the images were and the sound difficult even for the best computers to make audible.

Landry nodded. "Definitely. Can almost have a conversation now. Why, you need to talk to the Atlantis team?"

Daniel moved to stand in front of the desk. "Yeah. I was hoping to talk to the Winchester brothers. Get their side of the story. Their police files and their bios just aren't meshing. If I can get them to open up and trust me maybe we can work a little faster on figuring out how that Ancient device got where it was. If it even is Ancient."

"I'll have them set it up."Landry replied. "Probably be a half an hour before it's ready."

"That's fine. Thanks."Daniel acknowledged. "Give me time to grab something to eat."

"I'll let you know when it's ready."

* * *

"She's holdin' her own."Carson Beckett reported to his worried friends fifteen minutes later.

"Thank God."Sheppard whispered as he joined Weir and McKay.

"How long before she's awake and can tell us what happened?"Weir asked quietly.

Beckett shook his head. "Hard to know. We have her stabilized and well enough to move her to a more private area but her body's been through a severe trauma."

"Do we know what caused this severe trauma?"McKay asked as his guilt returned. If he'd been paying closer attention…..

Beckett ran a weary hand along the back of his neck. "I can only give you preliminary speculation."

"We'll take it."Sheppard replied. "Speculation is better than what we have now which is zilch."

"From what I've seen……..Teyla was hit by a large electrical shock."

"That'd explain how she materialized out of nowhere."McKay muttered.

"Rodney."Elizabeth prompted not having heard the details of how they had found Teyla.

"She dropped at our feet."Sheppard replied before Rodney could respond. "Elizabeth, it was like she fell literally out of thin air."

McKay raised his head. "And I think I know why we couldn't see her when we were in the room."

* * *

Dean found himself chained to a rock wall with a river of fire lapping at his feet. As he started to struggle against the chains, Dean knew it couldn't be real. That it had to be another nightmare.

However to his feet the fire sure felt real. To his wrists the shackles cut in painfully Dean's clothes began to cling to his body from the sweat.

"Now I thought we were going to play nice."

Dean jerked his gaze forward at the all too familiar voice of the Crossroad demon.

"This isn't real."Dean stated surprised at how calm his voice sounded.

The dark haired woman chuckled. "Not yet. But this is not a normal dream if that's what you're wondering."

"Then what is it?"

"A way for me to reach you."The demon replied as she floated toward him her high heels just inches above the flames. "Dean,luv, did you really think I wouldn't know about what you and your brother were doing?"

Dean fought the urge to cringe at her closeness. "This wasn't planned."

"Makes no difference. You know the rules."

"Give me some time. I'll get us home."Dean replied.

"I've been more than generous with you."

"That's a matter of opinion."Dean snapped and was instantly rewarded with a slap across the face.

"You're still alive, aren't you?"The demon stated with a smile. "I could've taken your life right then and there."

Dean forced his best smile. "I thought you enjoyed playing with me?"

The woman moved forward placing a seductive hand on Dean's left cheek. "I do,luv, I do. That's why you're still breathing."

"As a demon I know you don't know much about the military, but they're not exactly a cooperative fast moving bunch."Dean stated dryly. "Give me some time and I promise I'll get us home."


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Eternal  
Author: Cindy Ryan  
Notes and Summary: See chapter one.

Dean forced his best smile. "I thought you enjoyed playing with me?"

The woman moved forward placing a seductive hand on Dean's left cheek. "I do,luv, I do. That's why you're still breathing."

"As a demon I know you don't know much about the military, but they're not exactly a cooperative fast moving bunch."Dean stated dryly. "Give me some time and I promise I'll get us home."

"I don't think so, luv."The Crossroad demon replied with a seductive smile as she ran her hands across Dean's chest. "I like the idea of having you close…."

Dean swallowed hard. This couldn't be happening. He still had six months. There was still so much he wanted to do. Still so much he wanted to tell Sam. How proud he was to be his brother…..how proud he was of the man Sam had become.

"This wasn't the deal."Dean protested trying to pull away from her. "I still have six months."

"Don't you know,darlin'? It's a woman's progrative to change her mind?"The demon purred as she wrapped her arms lazily around Dean's neck

"You have all of eternity to do what you want."Dean pleaded not wanting to believe he was losing this argument. "Let me have the six months. What's six months to you?"

"It's nothing."The demon replied as she played with a button of his shirt. "But my boss believes and I agree that it's time you Winchesters were taught a lesson. Accidentally or not you broke the deal. By leaving Earth…..to use a sports term….you stepped out of bounds. This, in the terms of the deal is a way to try to break the contract. Ergo all bets are now off and you are mine."

"What about Sam?"Dean asked his mind scrambling to find a way to protect his brother.

The Crossroad demon laughed. "Now that's the lovely catch isn't it? Do I want to uphold that little end of the deal now that I have you right where I want you?"

"Please."Dean begged not caring at how weak it made him sound. Not caring of how disappointed his father would be if he could see him now. "Sam deserves this second chance."

"Really? All of you Winchesters have been a thorn in our sides for far too long."

"Don't kill him."Dean pleaded the memories of Cold Oak coming back fast and furious. He could still feel Sam's blood on his hands.

The Crossroad Demon pulled away from Dean and floated a few feet in front of him, the flames just inches from her high heeled shoes.

"Now what fun can I have in return if I let Sam live?"The dark haired woman mused.

"I don't care what you do to me."Dean stated quietly as a bead of sweat trickled down his nose. "If you kill my brother I'll hunt you through eternity and make it as painful as possible."

The woman smiled at Dean's threat. "Now that could be fun too."

* * *

"Do you want to share with the class, Rodney?"Sheppard asked impatiently as he glanced over at the silent form of Ronon.  
Dex had arrived shortly after Weir and had alternated from pacing the hallway to standing against the wall near the door. Hadn't said a word which was part of Dex's personality but this time it worried Sheppard. He hadn't been blind to the growing closeness of Teyla and Ronon over the last few months. 

Rodney kept his attention on Weir ignoring Sheppard's sarcasm. "Didn't Vision Boy say that he saw her floating and fading?"

Weir nodded. "Yes."

Rodney took a deep breath. "Well if my studies of the energy bread crumbs are accurate and if we believe what he saw; I think Teyla was encased in some kind of energy field. She must've triggered it when she touched the tile. Whatever is or was in that room the Ancients didn't want anybody to find. So they set up this protection field that transported anybody in that got too close and encased them in this invisible energy field. An ideal prison, really when you think about it."

"Could drive a person mad."Sheppard muttered as he looked over at Teyla's still form."Don't know where you are, nobody knows where you are. Rescue can't see or hear you."

Weir nodded in agreement. "Rodney, you think that in an attempt to escape Teyla made this energy field overload?"

"Only thing that makes sense. It'd explain the energy bread crumbs."McKay replied quietly. "She could probably see us…..every time she hit the field in an attempt to reach us….it left the energy signature."

"And it didn't capture John because he has the gene."Weir surmised.

"Wonder if they cloaked what they were protecting?"Sheppard asked thoughtfully.

"I don't want….."Weir began but broke off as her radio crackled to life.

"Command center to Weir."

"Go ahead."

"We have an incoming video transmission from Dr. Jackson. He's requested to speak to the Winchester brothers."

"I'll be right there."

"Acknowledged."

Weir turned back to Beckett. "Thank you, Carson for all you did to keep her with us. Let me know if there's any change."

"I will."Beckett promised before turning and walking back to Teyla.

"I'll come with you."Sheppard stated as he moved toward the door. "This could be an interesting conversation."

Weir nodded as she looked back at McKay. "Rodney, I need you, from a safe distance, to run scans on that room. We need to know if there are any other hidden little surprises."

"Understood."McKay replied and with a last glance back at Teyla he quickly followed Weir and Sheppard out of the infirmary.

* * *

"Dean, darling,"The Crossroad Demon called as she moved back toward the eldest Winchester. "I've decided to give your brother a reprieve."

Intense relief washed over Dean and he collapsed back against the rock wall. "Thank you."

The woman smiled. "You may not thank me just yet. I've given Sammy a reprieve, but if you want him to live a full life…..Dean, my luv, you'll have to fight for it."

To be continued in Shadow Play


End file.
